Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Swamp of Death (4)
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The rest was easy.
While the mercenaries and mages bought time, I kept making lotus stem nets and ambushed the trolls one by one, dragging them deep into the pools.
‘These trolls don’t seem to be moving of their own will.’
Trolls were never intelligent monsters. They had immense destructive power but extremely low intelligence. From a human perspective, that was a blessing. Thanks to their stupidity, they didn’t hunt in packs, and their battles had no strategy whatsoever.
Yet these trolls had ambushed us as a group and were acting as if they had a plan.
‘Like someone’s controlling them.’
But there was no time to ponder. Two trolls remained, still beating up the mercenaries.
The two left were deliberately avoiding me. They acted like they were sweeping everything away, but they skillfully avoided stepping on the lotus leaves.
I wouldn’t be able to handle the remaining two with lotus stem nets. As soon as I finished calculating, I climbed up a nearby water ash tree to the top.
‘There’s definitely something around here.’
I activated [Owl's Eye], which widened my vision even in the darkness, and scanned the foggy surroundings. The area was filled with dead trees.
Good.
Hiding tight, huh?
I drew an arrow and aimed into the darkness.
It was surely hiding in a tree.
And druids climbed trees for a living.
I could easily find a spot with a clear view of the campsite and enough cover to hide, even with my eyes closed.
‘About six trees.’
Six trees matched the criteria.
I’d shoot arrows at spots where a person could hide.
Whatever was there would react to being hit.
“Get ready…….”
I pulled an arrow from my quiver and drew the bowstring.
“Fire.”
I released it lightly.
-Whiiiiiish!
The arrow sliced through the air.
The first one missed.
-Whiiiiiish!
-Whiiiiiish!
The second and third missed too.
Three trees left.
I aimed into the endless darkness.
-Whish!
The arrow plunged into the dark without fear,
-Thunk!
And hit its mark.
‘Knew it, something was there.’
I quickly climbed down the tree and ran toward the one the arrow had struck.
“……Too late.”
Using [Breath of the Forest] to create a small cluster of lights, I illuminated the tree. Fresh blood and a broken arrow fletching were visible.
Faster than I thought.
And it dodged without even screaming, despite the pain.
‘I really need to catch this thing and interrogate it…….’
No footprints remained in the Swamp of Death.
The blood trail mixed into the black mud, making pursuit impossible.
Pushing aside my regret, I ran back toward the campsite where trolls were still rampaging.
-Grooooar!
-Kraaaaargh!
Half-roasted by the mages’ assaults, the trolls twisted and flailed for some reason.
Had the controller vanished?
In this state, I wouldn’t even need lotus stem nets.
‘Just tripping them up would be enough.’
I began chanting the spell to grow lotus stems. They sprouted in a circle around the flailing trolls and slowly tightened at my command.
“Now!”
At my signal, merciless attacks poured onto the trolls.
Fireballs like those from hell smashed their heads, and the mercenaries’ sharp blades pierced their thick hides.
-Kuoooong!!!!
-Thud!!!!
The trolls couldn’t hold out and collapsed. But collapsing didn’t mean they were dead. Trolls had grotesquely tenacious vitality.
“Cut their heads off!”
At my shout, Jamil nodded. He raised his massive axe high. Then, leaping in, he swung with full weight at the troll’s neck.
-Splaaat!!!
It was more like crushing than slicing. Ignoring the filthy flesh spraying everywhere, Jamil kept bringing the axe down on the troll’s neck. The once-glinting blade was now coated in black, sticky blood and no longer shone.
-Thunk!!!!
The final blow severed the troll’s head completely, sending it rolling across the ground. Who knew how long it had been trapped in the Swamp of Death—parasitic maggots writhed from its neck. A revolting sight. As I turned away to avoid gagging,
-Sparkle.
‘Wait, what’s that……?’
Something that shouldn’t be in the troll’s head caught my eye.
Approaching, I saw the tip of something embedded in the purpled flesh.
I’d seen it before.
-Ughhh!
-Blech! Urp!
Ignoring the retching beside me, I forcibly yanked it out of the troll’s head.
Wiping off the sticky flesh revealed its true form.
A jet-black gem.
Not a magic stone.
It was exactly like the black gem I’d found in the ‘Golden Road.’
No, maybe a bit larger?
“So, this was controlling them…….”
No mana emanated from the black gem. So it wasn’t a magical tool.
“Theodore.”
Jamil approached, showing me an identical black gem.
“Remember what this is?”
“Of course.”
“Connected to that ambush in the Golden Road?”
“Probably.”
I lowered my voice and whispered to Jamil.
“Jamil. No matter how I think about it, this isn’t ordinary. I’ll investigate, so you gather info when you get back.”
“Got it.”
“Discreetly. We’ve already been ambushed twice.”
“I said I got it.”
I had to trust him.
‘Should I contact Khalid once this is over?’
I had a strong hunch the old hag would know what this black gem was, but I couldn’t ask since I didn’t know where she was.
Khalid, crazy as she was, at least I knew where to find her……
‘Might get lucky with some info.’
I carefully pocketed the black gem.
* * *
“Damn, the blood……!”
Pavel clutched his side, where hot blood surged, and kept walking nonstop. In the Swamp of Death, stopping meant being swallowed whole. Even bleeding out in agony, he had to keep moving.
He’d thought he hadn’t been spotted, but that cursed druid’s arrow had pierced his side perfectly. How? Darkness and fog had aided his stealth. No matter how he thought about it, it was impossible.
But regretting now was too late.
Even with Pavel’s excellent poison resistance, surviving a deep wound while enduring the swamp’s toxins wasn’t easy. No matter how much he circulated mana or chugged potions, the poison seeped in faster from the wound.
“Cough!”
And that wasn’t the only problem.
The blood flowing from his side kept attracting ‘them.’ Pavel irritably stomped the parasitic worms on the ground, but they relentlessly swarmed.
“Damn it all!”
It was the black worms’ fault.
Black worms were bred with black opium. They burrowed into a host’s body and formed beautiful, hard cocoons like black gems. Once cocooned, the host lost all reason.
From then on, the black worm controlled the host.
Discovering this trait, Pavel’s organization began mass-breeding black worms. They fed them not just black opium but also the controller’s blood, conditioning them to recognize the controller as parent……
Pavel had twenty such controllable black worms. If he’d kept researching and breeding more, he could’ve risen higher.
But now, Pavel had none left.
To be precise, he sensed about three remaining. But they weren’t under his control, so useless.
Worse, they were a hindrance now. The parasites infesting the trolls’ bodies he’d buried in the swamp were addicted to the black worms’ pheromones and now swarmed him too.
He was fine for now, but if he didn’t escape the swamp soon, these giant parasites would devour him.
“Urgh…….”
But the wound wouldn’t heal.
Naturally.
Vines sprouting from his side kept ripping it open, preventing closure.
Didn’t druids sing of loving nature and life?
‘And they do this to me?’
Grinding his teeth, Pavel tore out the ever-growing vines from his side.
Agonizing pain assaulted him, but he couldn’t scream.
-Cawwww!
“Huh?!”
Then it happened.
A crow—he didn’t know from where or how long it had watched—let out a long cry.
Seeing its pitch-black eyes devoid of light, Pavel startled and dropped to his knees.
Parasites climbed his body as if waiting, but he couldn’t swat them away.
-Cawwww!
The crow cried again.
“Thoughts.
Have.
Changed.
Bring.
The druid.
To me.”
A low voice of unfathomable depth echoed over Pavel’s head.
“Y-Yes, understood……!”
Pavel bowed his head and replied.
-Flutter!
Hearing his answer, the crow spread its wings and soared high.
-Whoosh!!!
At the same instant, black feathers shot at blinding speed, piercing the ground parasites.
-Kieee……
“Hah, haah…….”
If those feathers had targeted him?
Shuddering at the chill, Pavel rose.
With a new order, he could ‘still live.’
Pavel wiped the endless cold sweat and picked up a plump, wriggling black caterpillar from where the crow had departed.
“…….”
How much effort to implant black worms in shadow wolves and trolls. Grueling memories flashed by.
And now, starting from scratch again.
Pavel stared at his palm with an inscrutable expression.
-CRUNCH!
He popped the worm into his mouth and chewed.
Absorbing the black opium essence accumulated in the black worm would boost his abilities dramatically for a while—enough to survive the Swamp of Death. Maybe even kidnap the druid as ordered.
-Chomp, chomp, chomp……
Even chewing the black worm he’d raised like a child, Pavel’s mind held one thought.
‘Bring the druid.’